The body of a missing Greek fisherman was recovered by the Greek Coast Guard early Thursday afternoon some 6 nautical miles off the coast between Sozopolis and Nea Kallikratia. The 62-year-old man, a fisherman by profession, went fishing on Wednesday afternoon just a few hours before the deadly freak storm broke out in the peninsula of Halkidiki in northern Greece. He had reportedly told a friend that he would not sail far due to the weather warning.
The man is the seventh victim of the storm on Wednesday night. Six foreign nationals were killed in Nea Potidea, Sozopolis and Nea Plagia . Among them two children 2 and 8 years old.
Damages and devastation wherever you look…
Halkidiki is the favorite destination of million of tourists every year.
The area is famous for its beaches. The storm broke out in the middle of the tourist season. The damages has not been estimated yet.
Photovoltaic panels on a house roof? No wonder they come down together with the roof…
120 people were injured, the Ministry of Health announced Thursday afternoon, with the majority of them to have been slightly injured and have received first aid at the health Center of Moudania. Majority of them left the health facilities, however, 26 were still hospitalized in Moudania and two hospitals of Thessaloniki. Among them are also 5 children. A 72-year-old woman is in critical condition due to head injuries and in intensive care unit.
Most of the injured were wounded by objects flying around been swept away by gale-force winds that partially blew with intensity of 12 Beaufort.
Wind…
Δείτε τι χαλασμός έγινε χθες στη #χαλκιδικη pic.twitter.com/IKOrlm0eOp
— George Lee (@Harhalas) July 11, 2019
and Hail
#Unwetter #chalkidiki Hagelschauer Video pic.twitter.com/ruD6oEyB25
— Monika Bassani ن (@Pisepampell) July 11, 2019
Elderly locals say that they have never experienced such a storm in their entire life.
Eyewitnesses report of an erledly woman who was swept by the wind into a garbage bin that was found 500 meters away form the spot where it was located.
One of the victims, the 8-year-old boy from Romania was reportedly also swept away by the wind and crashed into the tavern glass window.
Power Outage
Approximately 80 percent of the Halkidiki Prefecture has been without electricity since Wednesday’s storm, according to Macedonia-Thrace’s Hellenic Electricity Distributor Network Operator (HEDNO/ADMIE).
Dozens of workers are on the site to restore the damage in the electricity distribution network as many trees fell on electric posts.
“There is terrible destruction. We have a series of broken electricity pillars. We want to track down all damaged items in order to get them replaced,” the HEDNOs said, adding: “We are aiming to have restored electricity in 70% of the region by the evening. We will start from the urban clusters, cities and towns.”
According to latest ADMIE announcement in the afternoon, the power could be restored in 24-30 hours.
The Greek Army is to deploy generators to meet basic needs in the storm-ridden areas, where power restoration takes time.
Large areas remain also without water.
State of Emergency
Halkidiki has been declared in “state of emergency”, the government is set to allocate funds for the damages in infrastructure. Development minister Adonis Georgiadis has reportedly already submitted a request for funds by the EU Solidarity Fund for Natural Disasters.
